The Game
by Citizen Cobalt 1
Summary: After the Battle for Kanna, the samurai gather at the Firefly House to relax. Not so easy when two samurai are waging a constant war, with everyone else caught in the crossfire. Genderbending. Kambei/F Kyuzo. Some implied yaoi.
1. Chapter 1

Warnings: Um, lemon? Well, not quite a lemon. More like lime. Kyuzo is slight OOC at the moment, but for a reason. A rather funny reason, I thought.

I see Kyuzo and Kambei's relationship as a constant battle. Kambei loves to annoy her, and she hates that he can do that. And then you throw in a bit of sexual tension along with all the other quirks they seem to have, and you get instant fun. It doesn't really make for a stable relationship, but come on. They're samurai, stable doesn't seem to be in their vocabulary.

Chapter 1

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Generally, once a battle has been won and they are no longer needed, an army will disband. Especially an army consisting of seven people who had known each other for maybe three weeks. But then again, most armies don't go through the strange sequence of events they encountered.

Four of the seven suffered severe injuries, which was pretty good since three of them were supposed to be dead.

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Shichiroji wasn't sure whose survival surprised him the most. Heihachi, who had gone down with an airship while bleeding from the stomach, or Kyuzo who had been _shot_ a hell of a lot and also gone over the cliff inside the capital. Or maybe Kikuchiyo, the one whose feet were the only parts they could find.

Yet they all lived.

Heihachi had been found fairly quickly. Though pinned by a giant sword, the solid mass had protected him from the impact and the explosion. Katsushiro had heard his singing. Apparently the mechanic assumed he was dead and was singing to pass the time. He was delirious with fever and blood loss, but he survived.

Kikuchiyo, who they assumed had been _disintegrated, _had lost his feet, but the rest of him had simply been pushed over the cliff and landed on a ledge fifty feet down. Though battered and missing a few limbs, the mechanic from the city was sent for and arrived a few days later to fix him up.

Okay, the most surprising one had to be Kyuzo. Shichiroji had been there, he had seen him die.

But three days later, the red samurai had walked into the village, looking like death warmed over, but alive. How the hell he could even move was a mystery, including how he had crossed the gorge without the bridge. Any other man would have succumbed to his injuries, but Kyuzo treated his wounds like he treated everything else. He wasn't dead, so he was perfectly fine.

"I said I'd be waiting at the village." Kyuzo growled as Kambei carried him to the current medical house. He had tried to walk there himself, but whatever had kept him going ran out the moment he stepped foot in the village. So Kambei ignored the various threats Kyuzo threw at him and scooped the slender warrior up.

Even more shocking than his survival, at least to everyone but Kambei, was the discovery of Kyuzo's gender. 'He' was actually a 'she.'

Shichiroji was the lucky one who figured it out. While Gorobei tried to figure out how to remove Kyuzo's coat, which turned out to be more difficult than he imagined, Shichiroji inspected Kyuzo's lower body for other wounds. And yes, he did check everywhere.

He was rather surprised when he discovered the lack of certain piece of equipment. Seconds later, Gorobei was staring in puzzlement at the strips of cloth bound tightly around Kyuzo's upper chest.

"Shichiroji? You might want to look at this."

"Let me guess. Breasts?"

"Good guess."

"The lack of a penis kinda tipped me off."

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Perhaps they would have disbanded once Kanna was rebuilt. At first, they did.

Heihachi joined Gorobei in the entertainment business. The two had become firm friends during and Heihachi loved nothing more than a good joke. The song they had been practicing was a tad crude, which made people wonder exactly where they were headed to perform.

Kikuchiyo, as promised, was engaged to Komachi. The mechanical samurai was taking his promise very seriously and had vowed to protect the village as well.

Shichiroji was anxious to return to Lady Yukino, and he invited Kambei to join him. When Kambei agreed, Shichiroji knew that meant two other people would be coming as well. Katsushiro, who was now formally Kambei's student, and Kyuzo. He honestly suspected that Kyuzo would have disappeared instantly had she been able, but Kambei still owed her a duel. Shichiroji knew without a doubt that Kyuzo also shared Kambei's bed, but until they made it official, he would say nothing.

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A week had gone by at the Firefly House. During that time, Kyuzo had attempted to kill Kambei twice. Shichiroji had taken the liberty of giving the two one room to sleep in, but Kyuzo instantly took Katsushiro's room and forced him to Kambei's.

That didn't make much difference. They all knew that Kambei was able to 'negotiate' his way into Kyuzo's bed.

Heihachi and Gorobei arrived halfway through the second week and were invited to stay by Yukino. Shichiroji didn't say anything about how perfectly willing the two were to share a room. After all, it was none of his business.

So, aside from a few attempted homicides (Kyuzo), the Firefly House was peaceful.

It wouldn't stay that way for long. He knew, that with Kambei and Kyuzo around, it was only a matter of time.

Just a matter of time, and he could sit back and watch the fun.

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There really was nothing like a hot spring. There was also nothing like have the partition between the baths come crashing down thanks to a very angry, very _naked,_ female samurai with a pair of swords and an intent to kill.

"I'LL KILL YOU!!!"

To his credit, Kambei kept his expression fairly neutral, even while staring at the end the sword currently an inch from his nose.

But a grin that could only be described as lecherous managed to break free as his eyes quickly wandered from the weapon, to the bearer of said weapon.

It was amazing what one glimpse of Kyuzo's body could make Kambei forget about. Like the sword between his eyes. She was generally fully covered, with her breasts tightly bound to give the appearance of a flat chest, even if the entire group knew her gender.

But her body was fully on display and he openly stared, gaze sweeping up long legs that he knew from experience could, well… they could kick down a wall. Would they have to pay for that? He hoped not. Yukino was very understanding, but this was still the thirdwall Kyuzo had decimated.

So focused was she on Kambei, Kyuzo completely ignored poor Katsushiro. The youngest samurai had let out a rather unsamurai-like shriek when she knocked down the wall, and now he looked close to fainting. A tiny voice in the back of Kambei's mind scolded him for letting Katsushiro's first real look at a woman's body be so…traumatic, but he disregarded it. It wasn't his job to protect the boy's innocence. Besides, if he could battle Nobuseri, he could handle seeing a naked woman…Right?

Kambei glanced over at him. No, apparently he couldn't handle a naked woman. At least he had slumped sideways instead of forward, so he wouldn't drown.

"Kyuzo…" Kambei took one last glance at her body before he looked at her face. She was usually much for receptive to suggestions when he was looking at her eyes and not her breasts.

"Don't you think there is a better time for this?"

"…"

"You know you guys are going to have to pay for that." Neither one acknowledged Shichiroji's presence, not that he expected them to.

Shichiroji wasn't surprised to see Kyuzo there. The loud crash could only be her. Subtlety had never been one of her finer traits. Speaking of fine traits…Shichiroji, for safety's sake, only took a quick and discreet look at Kyuzo as he went to haul Katsushiro out of the bath. She was armed, short-tempered, and Kambei would kill him later if he caught him staring.

"Don't mind me. I'll be out of the way in a second." He wouldn't get his soak in the bath yet, but he could wait. Katsushiro needed to be revived, so he had something to keep him busy while those two continued with their twisted idea of foreplay.

TBC....

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I love Samurai 7. Kyuzo is my favorite character, whether male or female! Personally, I think he's the hottest character. Even though he's not really drawn to be gorgeous, I somehow find him so all the time.

Chapter 2 will be up very soon, since I split the first chapter.


	2. Plans Gone Awry

Disclaimer: I don't own Samurai 7. I forgot to put it in chapter 1. If you like the female Kyuzo idea, check out Jun-I's fics, and the Shrine to Samurai 7's Warrior Women.

Warnings: Lime and Gender-Bending.

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Despite the sword inches from his nose, Kambei managed to look completely content with life.

"You owe me a duel." Kyuzo said. Kambei looked far too nonchalant for her tastes.

"I don't have a sword." He said, as if they were discussing what to have for dinner.

"Then go get one!"

"I don't want to." Kambei relaxed against the stone and smiled at her.

"You will."

"No, I won't." Kyuzo resisted the urge to stamp her foot. She was not a child. She would not act like one.

"You will." She repeated.

"You're being childish." Kambei moved his head just in time to avoid Kyuzo's sword when she threw it at him. It sank into the rock next to his head, the blade humming menacingly.

"That was mature." He said. Whatever thread that had been holding Kyuzo back snapped and she leapt forward into the water, her one blade arcing towards his head.

The sound of steel meeting steel shocked Kyuzo almost more than the sudden realization that Kambei did indeed have his sword. And his scabbard. For once, Kyuzo was the one with fewer blades. She didn't like it one bit. Normally, she would have been able to recover from a surprise like this. Except that the water had been a little deeper than she expected, and she couldn't do a thing as Kambei twisted her other sword out of her hand. Nor did she move before his hand went around the back of her neck and she found herself pushed up against the wall, with Kambei's own body pinning her there.

_Shit. _

The feeling of his naked body at her back instantly turned her thoughts in a different direction.

That was all it ever took. The feel of his skin. The empty ache in between her legs would intensify when he touched her. Kyuzo had made a mistake attacking him in the spring. Kambei was bigger and stronger than her. With swords, a match between them would take forever. But in such close quarters, where leverage and body weight mattered more than speed, Kambei had the distinct advantage. And the lecherous ronin had no problem fighting dirty. He knew that the last thing she wanted was close combat.

Why the hell had she jumped at him? Had she not learned anything from any of their previous encounters?!

There was absolutely nothing she could do about this. Her feet barely touched the bottom of the spring, her entire body held up against the stone by his hips. He had his feet firmly planted, far enough apart so that his legs pressed against the back of her thighs at just the right spot, so she couldn't push against the wall with her knees.

Her hands were pressed against the wall above her head by Kambei's left hand, which still grasped his sword.

It would so easy. All it would take was a slight change to the angle of his hips, and he could rape her right there. No way for her to stop him. The most dishonorable, cruel, and shameful thing he could possibly do could happen at that moment.

And if only her goddamn body wasn't so excited about it! Where was the revulsion that should have welled up in her chest? Kyuzo's attempt at thinking of Kambei as any other man had, as usual, failed miserably. Because Kambei wasn't any other man. Not since she was a novice had anyone had her in such a vulnerable position, yet Kambei did it on a regular basis.

Having his entire body pressed up against hers didn't help in the slightest. Every tiny movement, every friction between their skin sent shivers down her spine to the heat between her legs. The rock was cold against her front, making the warmth of his body all the more intense.

"Kyuzo." His lips were against her ear and his breath on her sensitive skin made her shudder. "Must we do this every single time?"

She scowled and refused to answer. _She_ wanted to kill him. He was the one who always turned everything into this! Kyuzo was only thankful he couldn't see her face. She knew she was blushing, as she always did, and the perverted bastard probably got some sick satisfaction out of it.

"I sometimes think you enjoy this kind of sex." She turned away from him, but not before his eyes narrowed as he caught a whiff of her breath.

"Kyuzo…Have you been drinking?" Oh yes. The sake. That would explain why she had jumped at him like a complete moron. It had seemed like a good idea at the time!

"How much have you had?" Kambei asked.

"I'm _not_ drunk." She declared, and strained against his grip on her wrists. He let go, but only enough to press his blade to her wrists instead. Despite her doubt that he would cut her, the thought of losing her hands was enough to keep her still.

"You must have had a lot to knock down the wall and march nude into the men's bath." He commented mildly.

"I didn't." She argued. Kyuzo wasn't sure how much sake equaled 'a lot'. She had only drank a couple times in her life, during the war with her sensei. Surely they wouldn't put that much sake out for the bath? What if their patrons drowned? She had only drank three of the bottles. And they had been tiny bottles. Sensei carried his alcohol in a much larger container. How much could those tiny bottles hold?

Her head felt warm and almost fuzzy. Did that mean she was drunk? She was in a hot spring, so that could account for the warmth.

Her thoughts stopped immediately when she felt Kambei's free hand slide over her hip and straight down to the juncture of her thighs.

There was no hesitance in his touch, his calloused fingers slid over the sensitive flesh and barely into her. Her hips jerked at the sudden pleasure and her gasp was stifled when he grabbed her hair and kissed her. It didn't even register to the blond woman that her hands were free. Kambei's fingers pressed against a certain spot and she practically melted against him.

Kyuzo was kissing Kambei back, all form of resistance gone. He let his hand slide out of her hair and cupped one of her small breasts instead. She broke the kiss and turned her face back to the wall as he moved his hand faster against her womanhood. Her hips had begun to rock against his fingers and he slowed his pace, while hers sped up.

Just a bit more… Kyuzo let her forehead rest against the cool stone, her breathing heavy as she moved. It didn't matter any more that Kambei's hand had stilled, that she was the one rubbing against his fingers. Just the pleasure building between her legs, that wonderfully sweet, almost painful burn in her muscles. Her hips jerked and broke the rhythm. She was so close. So close…

And then Kambei removed his hand. Kyuzo let out a strangled whimper, her body trembling with unfulfilled want. She needed something, anything, to touch her.

Later, when she was in her right mind, Kyuzo would berate herself for acting like that. When the hand previously caressing her clamped down on her hip, she automatically tried to spread her legs a little more, heady with anticipation.

Several moments passed and she clenched her teeth in frustration. Kambei's fingers were moving in a lazy circle against her pelvis, and he was softly kissing the juncture between her neck and shoulder. But he had ignored her rather blatant invitation.

"Well… Good night, Kyuzo." Kambei stepped back so abruptly that Kyuzo nearly slid to her knees as she was released. Mouth agape in pure astonishment, she looked over her shoulder, watching the other samurai as he waded to the edge of the spring. As Kambei walked up the shallow steps, he grabbed a white robe from next to the door and whisked it around his body.

"W-Where the fuck are you going?!" Kyuzo demanded.

"I'm tired." Kambei didn't even turn to look at her. "And it seems you want to be alone."

Only years of training in self-control kept Kyuzo from following him and beating the shit out of the man. She sank up to her chin in the hot water and glared at the now empty doorway. That self-control would have been a little more helpful earlier!

How she hated that samurai. Had anyone else touched her like that, it would have been easy to fight back and then slice off the hand that touched her. With Kambei, she might as well just march into his bed and lie flat on her back with 'Kambei's Whore' branded on her forehead. He had already called his whore once before. The memory rose unbidden into her mind and she shivered. It had been no more than a week ago, on the floor of her own room. How was it that every time she was alone with him, he somehow got her like that? His voice, as he said those words against her ear, had such a possessive, final tone to it. She should have killed him for daring to put any sort of claim on her.

Instead, she had practically sobbed and had managed a choking agreement when he said it again. She had fucking agreed to it!

Kyuzo instantly bolted upright, jerking her hand from where it had wandered between her thighs. She was _not_ about pleasure herself while thinking about that. In fact, she wasn't going to do anything at all. Did Kambei think she would be so overcome with need that she would satisfy herself right there? Overconfident samurai, to think she would want him so badly. Kyuzo didn't need relief. After all, there was _nothing_ to relieve!

Her sensitive body begged to differ. Her knees nearly gave out when she started to climb out of the spring. She ignored the ache in her core and stepped over the broken wall back into the women's side to get her robe. Her head was still fuzzy from the alcohol, but her resolve was clear.

If Kambei thought she was going to come to him and ask for relief, he would be sorely disappointed. She was a samurai, a master swordsman. No man was ever going to make her submit. Not even Shimada Kambei.

She would just have to make sure to keep her clothing on around him. She didn't remember exactly why she had decided to kill him, or why it had to be right then and there. It must have been something awful…

Wait…Kyuzo stopped mid-step, a motion that would normally have been…well, dignified. As it was, she almost toppled over.

Something didn't feel right. Actually, nothing felt right at the moment, but she knew who to blame for that. Why did she feel like she was forgetting something extremely important?

"I don't forget things." If so, why did she feel like she did?

To her immense delight, Kyuzo found that the previously emptied bottles on the tray had been replaced with full ones. Which was rather odd. Shouldn't the broken wall have taken higher priority?

She wasn't going to worry about that now. Kyuzo tipped the bottle and drank half in a few gulps that burned down her throat. But it was pleasantly warm in her stomach, it helped her ignore her urge to find Kambei and kill him. Or whoever she found first.

She tried to put the now empty bottle back on the tray, but the ground must have been slanted, because it fell off and rolled in the bath. Kyuzo ignored it and grabbed another bottle.

Perhaps she could slice off his head and keep it as a trophy? She mused as she drank the sake in one long continuous swallow.

He at least needed a haircut. Hers wasn't much better, but at least it was cut. Cut with a sword, and without a mirror, which just made it look messier than it actually was. Actually brushing it might help, but she didn't care enough to-Swords! Kyuzo nearly choked on her sake when she finally realized it.

She had left her swords in the men's bath.

Tossing the empty bottle in the general direction of the door, she grabbed another and walked (stumbled) over to peek around the partition. Her one blade was still in the rock…but where was the other one?

Oh yes, Kambei had twisted it out of her grip. But what had he done with it?

She stood at the edge and leaned over, looking for a glint of silver. Kambei better not have taken her sword with him. He had his, although she was fairly sure he had dropped the scabbard. The hand he had used to…well, one hand had obviously been free…

Kyuzo was nearly to the point of just leaving and hoping no one decided to go in and possibly lose a toe. A glint caught her eye and she tried to look, but it was just a reflection. The water seemed to be getting awfully close, perhaps it was-

"Fuck!" She yelled as she fell face first into the hot water.

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As far as Heihachi knew, if wet footprints appeared in your hallway in the middle of the night, it was the spirit of someone who had drowned.

But were you supposed to be able to hear them walking?

He had been going to the kitchen for any leftover rice, but out of curiosity, he followed the footprints.

"Kyuzo?" The blond samurai stopped, allowing Heihachi to walk up behind her. Judging from the wet robe she wore, and the water dripping from it, she was the source of the footprints.

"You're soaking wet." Heihachi might have battled the Nobuseri and lived to tell about it, but nothing could have prepared him for Kyuzo. He only took his eyes off her upper body for a second, because the soaked white robe was practically see-through, and his gaze automatically zoomed down to her rear, which the fabric clung to like a second skin.

As she pivoted on her heel to face him, he was ashamed to admit that he looked at her chest rather than her face. He was a man, okay?!

BAM!

Thankfully, her fist slammed into his forehead instead of his nose. He wasn't sure if the crunch was from her hand or his skull, not that it mattered. The back of his head smacked against the floor and he could only stare dazedly at Kyuzo as she continued down the hall.

"What did I do?"

TBC....

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This is my first lime or Samurai 7 fic. I love Kyuzo as a man, but he would have been a great female character.


	3. Morning After

Disclaimer: I don't own Samurai 7

Warnings: Gender-bending, um…a bad word or two?

This fic is kinda for Jun-I, because she got me into the female Kyuzo writing. ^_^

I might edit this a bit later, but I'm glad to have this portion done. I kept rewriting all of this. I think I'm getting a better grasp on writing the female Kyuzo. ^_^

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Contrary to what she _knew_ was popular belief, Kyuzo did not wake up with the instant urge to kick puppies, make children cry, and steal limbs from unfortunate mecha-samurai. In fact, she had never kicked a puppy, and she avoided children like the plague and therefore never got close enough to make one cry. As for stealing limbs from mecha-samurai…well, Kikuchiyo was still holding a grudge about the time she had held his left leg from the knee down hostage for two days. It was during the early stages of healing after the battle. She could walk, but could do little else and the boredom had nearly driven her mad. Watching Kikuchiyo make one-legged attempts to get his leg had provided amusement.

But she did _not_ wake up homicidal.

Kyuzo awoke to an awful headache, a tight coil of frustration between her legs, and a feeling of heavy annoyance when she didn't feel the warmth of another body. The blond samurai instantly chided herself for having grown accustomed to Kambei's presence. These numerous encounters had only started a few weeks ago and already she felt too comfortable next to him. Cuddling in bed was something Kambei would do with a lover, not Kyuzo. Still, the bed felt too cold for her liking.

Perhaps it was better that way. The alcohol had intensified her dreams tenfold. Kyuzo did not dream very often, but ever since their first meeting, Kambei found his way into what dreams she did have. Last night's dreams were worse than normal. She would never be able to look at a rope the same way again. Her head throbbed as she grimaced and rubbed her temples with her fingertips.

The knuckles on her left hand were ever so slightly tender, as if she had hit something with a closed fist. Kyuzo generally used a palm strike, not a closed fist punch. There was less danger to the delicate bones in the fingers and it was more accurately powerful. Had she hit someone? The vision of someone with orange hair immediately jumped to the front of her mind and she groaned as she remembered. She could only hope Heihachi wasn't injured. As Kyuzo recalled, her aim had been off and she had hit his forehead, a blessing since she would have normally aimed for his nose. A broken nose was never pleasant and she felt a stab of guilt for an unprovoked attack on someone she actually got along with.

At least she was in her room and hadn't stumbled into someone else's. Nausea had engulfed her stomach by the time she got there, but where had she thrown up?

She vaguely recalled vomiting into a bucket that had mysteriously appeared in her room. Then, warm, roughened hands had held her hair out of her face, arms gently supporting her as she heaved. A cup of water pressed to her lips so she could sip and rinse her mouth. She knew who had done it. Even horribly drunk and nearly unconscious, Kyuzo still knew the feel of Kambei's hands.

No one else would have dared enter her room unless they seriously believed she was in danger. Being sore in the morning from lying in an awkward position certainly wasn't a danger. He had changed her from the soaked robe into a dry sleeping yukata, his hands never once straying.

The previously subdued desire had flared in the pit of her stomach when he had gently laid her on the double futon. Her hand snagged his sleeve and she asked him to stay. Or at least she thought that's what she said. The request shouldn't have amused him so much as he extricated himself from her embrace.

Kyuzo hoped she hadn't said anything too embarrassing. Her pride had taken enough of a hit over the course of the evening.

Kyuzo pushed her body into a sitting position and her head throbbed. Food and water. That was what she needed.

Kyuzo didn't care at all this morning about getting dressed. It wasn't unheard of for some of them to come to breakfast in their sleeping attire, though she had certainly never done so.

To hell with her clothes. If anyone had a problem, they could challenge her to a duel if they felt so strongly about it. She was in the mood to kill someone anyway.

But before she left, Kyuzo did make sure that her yukata was securely tied shut. No sense in giving Kambei any more opportunities than he already had.

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Kambei was playing a dangerous game. One could tell with one glace at the seething woman who looked like death warmed over countered by the smug look on the older man's face.

There were only two things in the world that scared Shichiroji. Heights and Shimada Kambei. And the female species in general, but he counted that as a perfectly rational sense of caution.

Heights had always terrified him. It wasn't hitting the ground that worried him, and he'd done that plenty of times. Just looking down at the world below and feeling your gut wrench was enough.

Ironic that he became a pilot.

His second fear manifested later in life, a little after his 16th birthday. Manifested in the form of a madman named Shimada Kambei. It wasn't an obvious madness, of course. He didn't laugh crazily in the middle of the night, nor did he drool or fling about various bodily fluids. Shichiroji had once had the pleasure of babysitting another samurai who was high on…something. No one ever did figure out what the man had consumed. Nor did his reputation ever recover.

No, it was a different madness. Even now, years later, Shichiroji didn't exactly know what that madness was called. Whatever it was, it involved loving a challenge.

Sure, Shichiroji liked a challenge as much as the next samurai, and some might say Kambei was just a passionate man. But Shichiroji had been through too many close calls to be fooled. Kambei was plain crazy.

Take the latest 'challenge' for instance. Kyuzo, who was a twin blade master, severely anti-social, not to mention unpredictable, and a samurai.

In short, the kind of woman you have random, disturbed, _painful_ fantasies about, but outside the dream world, you stay as far away as possible.

Instead of accepting Lady Kirara, who had practically offered herself on a silver platter, Kambei went after the one who wanted nothing more than his head on said platter.

And despite the fact that Kambei had won her over, at least in bed, Shichiroji didn't think Kyuzo had changed her mind. She still wanted Kambei's head.

And from what he could tell from looking at her now, she might go after the rest of them just for the hell of it.

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Once, after her first, or third, time waking up with no memory of the night before, Kyuzo had asked her sensei what she was like when inebriated.

"_You become an angry, horny woman with a pair of swords and an incredible lack of foresight." _He had replied instantly. And the bastard was always right.

Angry was normal. 'Horny' as sensei phrased it, was understandable. The last time she shared a bed before Kambei had been five years ago, and only for a few hours. It didn't help that her attraction to Kambei was overwhelmingly intense and persistent.

If given the option, Kyuzo would have taken being shot again over waking up after a night of heavy drinking. After all, blood happened to be one of the more dignified bodily fluids. Vomit was far less favorable. At least she hadn't gone to Kambei's bed. That would have been the cap on the evening.

It was all Kambei's fault. His fault for reminding her too much of her damn sensei. Both were shameless perverts who could turn any situation to their advantage.

Kambei's declaration of love during their first fight had shocked her more by its similarity to her sensei's insane comments during sparring than the words themselves. It's hard to stay serious when your opponent is talking about the benefits of moisturizing certain body parts. Of course, when one lapse will get you knocked on your ass, it's amazing how serious you could be.

But this was different. Sensei had done it to distract her, to train her. Kambei's words had a lot more meaning behind them.

Anticipation made her edgy and as much as she'd like to deny it, she fully looked forward to paying Kambei back for leaving her in the bath. What kind of game was he playing? Why go through the fight, only to give up once you've won? Kambei was known for not giving up, not unless he had a plan… Did he have a plan? What could leaving her like that like possibly accomplish? Kyuzo now regretted not listening to her sensei when he had tried to explain the basic rules of courtship to her. His explanation had sounded suspiciously like a battle plan. That or a guide to fishing…

But if it had been a battle…It was technically a victory for Kambei.

She had lost. To Kambei.

She. Had. Lost.

And the lousy fucker didn't even have the grace to honor his fucking fallen opponent by providing a swift death!

There was movement on her left and she lashed out by reflex. Heihachi barely managed to jerk his hand away from her bowl of rice, but his sleeve was not so fortunate.

There was a stunned silence around the room as Heihachi leaned as far away from her as possible, clearly unnerved by her expression, and by the chopstick she had used to pin his arm to the table.

"Sorry." Kyuzo said. As an apology, she slid her bowl of rice over next to the pinned arm. It was what he had been trying to take anyway. Her stomach was upset from the small amount of food she had consumed. The room spun as she rose to her feet, but she stubbornly stood straight until the vertigo passed. Then she left as quickly as possible to get away from Kambei's knowing look.

Kyuzo could hear Gorobei laughing as he helped pry the chopsticks out of the table. He had been the only one who hadn't been giving her strange looks during breakfast. Kambei's look was self-explanatory. Heihachi's left eye was purple and slightly swollen. Katsushiro seemed to determined to look anywhere but at Kyuzo, though she had no idea why. She didn't really care either.

Her clothes were where she had left them, folded neatly next to her pallet. Leaning against the wall by her clothes was her scabbard, with both swords in their proper places. Kyuzo didn't even have to venture a guess as to who had retrieved her swords for her. Damn that annoying man!

She had just barely started to undress when the sound of the door sliding open had Kyuzo instantly shutting her yukata. Once again, Kambei was the only one who would enter her room, especially without knocking first. He was also the only one who invoked such a reaction. The female warrior had been taught from a young age to ignore her bared skin when in a fight. If you were more concerned about your exposed breasts than your opponents sword, you would get yourself killed. Besides, if your opponent is too busy staring at your breasts and not your sword, then you can kill them that much quicker.

Kambei was an entirely different matter. He seemed to have a real knack for removing her clothes.

He had that annoyingly pleasant smile on his face and a tray with a steaming bowl on it in his hand.

"Miso soup," He said in response to her questioning gaze. She continued to stare blankly at him.

"…Hangover remedy?" He added. "For your head?"

Kyuzo nodded, not about to let Kambei know that she had never had a hangover remedy. She was, however, going to kick Sensei's ass when she found him in the afterlife. She always wondered how he recovered so quickly from a night of drinking. He had never bothered to let her know that there was actually a damn remedy for a hangover.

Miso had never been a particular favorite of hers, but it soothed her stomach as she sipped it. Kambei had moved to sit behind her on the futon and his hands pressed against her back, kneading and working the tension out of her spine. One hand went up to run through her hair and massage her scalp. Kyuzo nearly melted against him as her headache began to dissipate.

His chest vibrated with his chuckle, but Kyuzo ignored it. He could mock her as long as he didn't stop massaging.

"You're still going to pay for last night." She put as much threat as possible into her voice, but it still came out as a dull murmur.

"I'm sure I will."

-----------

Kyuzo was never one to sleep late, but Kambei's presence soothed her aching head, even if other body parts didn't get the same effect. She fell asleep with her face pressed against his chest, breathing in his scent. His very _strong _scent_._

The man could use a bath.

When she awoke, he was gone, as she expected. But at least she felt better.

But he was still going to pay. If he thought a massage was going to placate her, then he was sorely mistaken. Kyuzo inhaled his lingering scent on the pillow and allowed herself a small smirk.

Oh yes. Kambei would pay. Dearly.

_------------_

TBC……..

For some reason, this chapter was hard to write. What will Kyuzo's revenge be? I already know that. It's not so nice. *evil chuckle*


	4. Samurai Traditions

Disclaimer: I don't own Samurai 7. Unfortunate, but true. Enjoy! ^_^

----------------

Kyuzo would admit with all manner of certainty that her talents lay in destroying things. Namely living things, mostly people. Every once in a while she would demolish a building while in the midst of battle; although it was most likely going to get destroyed by someone else anyway. She didn't even need her swords, her hands were good enough to simply break someone's neck.

She was a destroyer. That was her skill. So it would only make sense that actually _fixing_ things were where the limitations kicked in.

The blond samurai was crouched by the remains of the bamboo wall that she had kicked over the previous evening. Yukino had been understanding; a little too understanding for Kyuzo's taste. It was her fault. She had kicked the wall, damaging the property of someone kind enough to offer her accommodations. So it was only right that she should fix it.

That was all well and good until Kyuzo realized she hadn't the slightest idea how to build a wall. It seemed simple enough, but the last time she had seen someone building a wall, she had been half-awake, full of holes, and drugged as hell. All thanks to Katsushiro, but Kyuzo wasn't going to hold a grudge over a few holes in her chest. The scars, interestingly enough, connected enough to form the lopsided kanji for cabbage. Kyuzo _hated_ cabbage. But still, no hard feelings over the scars.

She was, however, going to make the little bitch pay for putting all those holes in her coat. The red coat that her Sensei had worn, that he had given to her, along with his swords. The first thing she had done when she regained the ability to think (whatever pain medications Kambei gave her dulled more than just pain) was to request a needle and thread. Repairing the coat had kept her sane during the time she was bedridden.

Okay, so she could sew. Sensei had insisted that being able to repair the clothes on your back was a skill everyone needed. Of course, the man's judgment of important skills was questionable at times. He also thought spitting was an important skill.

Kyuzo held the mallet and stared at it for a long moment. She had used a mallet before, but not on a fence. As she recalled, it had been on someone's skull. So how exactly was something that shattered bone supposed to help erect a wall?

To add to it all, her little skirmish with Kambei last night had irritated her injuries. Although mostly healed, she was supposed to avoid strenuous activity. She wouldn't have considered last night as strenuous, not compared to her usual actions, but her back certainly thought so.

How was she supposed to do this? She could build any number of traps, but somehow she got the feeling Yukino wouldn't appreciate dead customers.

Unless she suddenly gained the knowledge of construction from staring at the mallet long enough, she would have to ask for help.

Who did she know that could build a wall?

-------------

"Weren't there any nails?" Heihachi asked as he sifted through the pile of materials.

Kyuzo stared at him. Heihachi couldn't tell if it was a stare of agreement, or disagreement, or just a plain stare. He never had quite figured out how Kambei could tell the difference between her expressions. Perhaps it was because he was usually close enough to see her eyes? Heihachi was perfectly alright to _not_ be that close.

"We need nails to build this fence…" Her head tilted the tiniest bit to the side. What was that? Confusion? Agreement? What was it?!

"I'll go get them…"

When Heihachi returned, Kyuzo was standing right where he had left her. She hadn't moved an inch. He set the box down and chose a suitable nail out of the container.

He couldn't help but notice how closely Kyuzo was paying attention to his movements.

"Kyuzo-dono. Have you…?" He swallowed nervously. "Have you ever built anything before?"

Her face darkened, but she only shook her head.

"Oh…Not even a shelter?"

"Trees make suitable shelter."

"I see…" Might as well start from the beginning. He put on his brightest smile and held up the nail.

"This is a nail."

-------------

Yukino would be pleased. The wall Kyuzo and Heihachi had built was far stronger than the one Kyuzo had destroyed. In fact, the one she had destroyed had been ridiculously weak. She was strong, but it still collapsed far too easily. Not anymore. Next time, whatever drunken idiot decided to go into the other bath would find the wall to be a tough opponent.

It wouldn't stop her, of course, but Kyuzo didn't plan on having any more drinks while near Kambei. She still didn't remember why she had been so angry. It certainly wasn't unusual. Kambei pissed her off on a daily basis. She couldn't count the number of times she had slapped that man over inappropriate touching, suggestive comments, or perverted offers.

Such an annoying man.

-------------------

The rest of the samurai were gathered in the small dining room when they returned. Kyuzo was somewhat dismayed to see dozens of sake bottles next to Shichiroji.

"Just in time!" Gorobei beckoned Heihachi to sit beside him and Kyuzo withheld a grimace when she saw the only available spot was next to Kambei. Of course it would be.

"We were just about to partake in a little friendly gambling!"

"I'm afraid I'm flat broke, Gorobei-dono." Heihachi rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Katsushiro shyly raised his hand.

"I…I only have a little…" he admitted.

"I have nothing of value." Kambei said.

"…" Kyuzo added.

Gorobei's face fell.

"Then how shall we commence with this fine samurai pastime if we have nothing to gamble?" The large man looked so crestfallen that Kyuzo _almost_ felt a stab of guilt over being broke.

"What's something we all have?" Shichiroji asked.

"…Swords?" Katsushiro offered. There was a general murmur of disagreement as each samurai fell into deep concentration. After all, this was serious business. Katsushiro, being new to the real samurai world, didn't quite understand why everyone seemed so serious. The only other person who didn't seem to think it was important was Kyuzo. But then again, he didn't think she was capable of expressing emotions other than boredom, contempt, and homicidal rage.

"Aha!" Gorobei exclaimed triumphantly. "Clothing!"

"Clothing?" Heihachi echoed.

"Clothing!" Gorobei repeated. "You lose when you're naked!"

"…" Kyuzo said.

"Wonderful idea." Kambei muttered before he emptied his glass of sake and started to pour another. Kyuzo noticed how unsteady his hands were. A devious, not to mention somewhat cruel, plan started to form in her mind. As casually as possible, she reached over to snatch the sake bottle out of his hand. When he gave her a look of bewilderment, she grasped his other hand to steady his glass. She poured it for him and made sure to let her fingers trail over the back of his hand as she released him. Exactly what he always did to her.

"That's kind of…I mean…I don't know if I should…" Katsushiro's face and ears were burning as he stuttered out protests.

"Nonsense!" Gorobei clapped him heartily on the back, sending the young man pitching forward. "You're a samurai, aren't you? This is a fine samurai tradition! Only the bravest warriors can participate!"

"Really?" Katsushiro's big green eyes practically sparkled as he looked up at Gorobei hopefully. The entertainer nodded seriously.

"You, my friend, are ready to join us as we celebrate the wonders of being samurai! Many young samurai never reach this level, and therefore spend the rest of their existence never knowing the majesty of this event!"

"I-I am honored!" Katsushiro was nearly glowing at the praise and listened raptly as Gorobei started to explain the rules of the game. Heihachi was biting his tongue in an effort to stifle his laughter.

"Should we really have to take off all our clothing?" Shichiroji asked.

"Are you shy?"

"It's not that…We've got a…y'know…in the room?" They all knew what Shichiroji was trying to avoid saying. Kyuzo was known to become excessively violent when her gender affected any decisions.

In Kanna, once it was revealed, they had automatically moved her to a separate house, away from Heihachi and Kikuchiyo. They found her back on her pallet next to Heihachi's the next morning. No one was entirely sure how she had managed to move herself given her body's condition. Kambei concluded that she was simply that stubborn.

Gorobei immediately came to Shichiroji's rescue. Kyuzo was looking at him with an expression she usually reserved for Kambei and her fingers were obviously itching to curl around the hilts of her swords.

"This is a _samurai tradition! Kyuzo is a samurai. It's simple logic, my friend!"_

"_Right! That makes perfect sense!" He quickly agreed and breathed a sigh of relief when Kyuzo's gaze focused on something else._

"_Is everyone in?" Gorobei looked around the circle of samurai. More specifically, he was waiting for Kyuzo and Kambei's response. Kambei shrugged and nodded._

"_Kyuzo-dono?"_

"_I'll play." She replied instantly._

"…_You will?" Kyuzo ignored his reaction. She was busy pouring more sake for Kambei. A little red flag went up in the back of Gorobei's mind. There was something terribly wrong with that scene. Simply put, Kyuzo was not one to pour sake for a man, especially one who already knew she was a woman. Kambei didn't look the least bit concerned about her odd behavior, thanks to the alcohol he'd consumed. Kyuzo had yet to drink anything at all._

_Gorobei pushed the puzzle out of his mind before he could become too interested. It was none of his business. If Kyuzo wanted to pour sake for Kambei, then he wasn't going to stop her… Even if it was weird._

_----------------_

_Chapter 5 is mostly finished, I just have to put a few things together. Kyuzo has a plan. *shudder*_


	5. Kyuzo's Move

Warnings: Ah…gender bending…things inappropriate for minors…

Disclaimer: I don't own Samurai 7. If I did…Oh if only…

I really don't know what they're playing. Something like poker, I guess. Kyuzo does have an excellent poker face. I've seen brick walls with more facial expressions. ^_^

This chapter's for Lhye, who keeps randomly inspiring me. Not sure how, but I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth…That's an odd phrase. I suppose if someone gave you a horse, it would be impolite to check its age. But still, it would be a good thing to know…

We had a tornado yesterday. Cut the power and everything. And my rice was only half cooked, so I had to wait for the power to come back on before the rice cooker would come back on!

-------------

It was a chilly night.

Heihachi decided this after he lost his shirt. He still had his pants, his hat, his goggles, and his sword. Everything else was gathered in a sad, but tidy, pile behind Kyuzo. Except for his vest, Gorobei had won that. He shivered when a breeze drifted in from the courtyard. It wasn't _that_ cold a night, but Shichiroji had somehow spilled sake down his back. How he had managed that, since he was sitting opposite him, was a mystery.

It was cold sake, too. Yukino had taken away the burner that heated the sake some time ago. She had mentioned something about drunken men and fire, but Heihachi's brain was too foggy to remember her exact words.

The only one who had lost nearly as much clothing was Kambei. However, the man wore a ridiculous amount of layers, so it didn't affect him very much. He would have thought their leader would be a better player, the man was good at everything! But he did seem quite drunk…

Heihachi couldn't recall ever playing so badly at…whatever they were playing. Even Katsushiro still had his shirt!

Kyuzo, on the other hand, had lost one boot. That was it. Heihachi strongly suspected she was cheating, but he had no proof. And she still had both swords. He wasn't about to risk decapitation just to win a game.

Now Shichiroji, he knew he was cheating. The fair-haired samurai wasn't even trying to hide it. But Heihachi left him alone. The cheating was the only thing keeping him afloat anyway.

Perhaps it was the alcohol? He tried to remember how much he had drank, but it was like his brain stopped listening to him and decided to think about rice. Could brains do that? Not that it was bad to be thinking about rice. Wasn't there rice in the kitchen? Maybe he would-

"Heihachi-dono!" Katsushiro waved a hand in front of his face and he swatted it away.

"What?"

"It's your turn." The boy looked rather subdued thanks to Heihachi's irritated response and he sipped his water with a pouting expression. Water… What?!

"Are you drinking water?" Why on earth hadn't the boy tried to sneak any sake? Boys his age were always so eager to drink, with the assumption that they would become more masculine and impressive. That's not how it worked, of course. Heihachi knew that from experience.

"He's too young for sake!" Shichiroji insisted somewhat half-heartedly. The slur to his speech took the conviction out of his words.

"He's fought a war. I think he can drink." Heihachi went to pour a cup for Katsushiro, but Shichiroji grabbed his wrist. The action brought to mind the time he had wanted to kill someone for betraying them. Who was that? Manni…Matsu…Manzo!

He wasn't trying to kill anyone this time! Why was Momotaro making such a fuss?

Katsushiro was looking back and forth between the two, helplessly looking for a way to stop them.

The argument was settled by Kyuzo, who seemed to have had enough of it. The blond woman put a hand on either of their shoulders and shoved them back into their respective spots. Then, her hand shot out and snagged Katsushiro's collar. No wait, not his collar. Heihachi winced in sympathy as he watched Kyuzo drag Katsushiro over to her spot, with one hand around his throat.

Kambei let out a short protest when she grabbed one of his many bottles. He had accumulated quite a few empty ones, so Kyuzo had to toss a few aside before she found a full container.

Poor Katsushiro's face was now inches away from Kyuzo's. Probably the closest any of them had ever been to her. She raised the mouth of the bottle to his lips.

"Drink." She ordered.

"K-Kyuzo-dono!" He squirmed, but her fingers tightened around his throat.

"Drink." She growled again. Heihachi had to give him points for even trying to refuse. He would have inhaled the entire bottle after her first command. He had already incurred her wrath once in the past twenty-four hours. He didn't need to do it again.

Kyuzo sat back, satisfied, as Katsushiro choked down his first gulp of sake. The boy crawled back to his spot, and Heihachi noticed that he took the bottle with him.

"Heihachi. Your turn."

"Huh? Oh, right!"

-------------

"You gotta be kidding me!" Gorobei looked down at the pieces in his hand. He had been so certain it was a winning hand! How did Kyuzo beat that?!

"…." Kyuzo replied. At least, he was pretty sure she said something without saying it. It was an odd way of communicating, one he would never figure out. One thing he wanted to know, did she do that with everything?

"Katsi…Katshinoiria…Kat…Hey, kid!" Kambei gave up trying to say Katsushiro's name and simply tossed the bottle across the circle to him. Luckily, it landed in his lap and not the floor.

"Thank you, sensei!" Katsushiro's face was very pink at this point and his eyes were unfocused. He was also down to his underclothes.

"…" Kyuzo was still waiting. Gorobei sighed and started trying to figure out the buttons on his boots. When did they get so small?

"……!" She was certainly insistent, wasn't she? Did she use silence for everything? How could she shout a warning to a comrade during battle? What about sex? Can you communicate moans through a stare?

"No, that does require speaking."

"Huh?" Gorobei looked up from his partially unbuttoned boot when Kyuzo spoke. She was looking at him? Why was she doing that? Was she watching him undress? He knew she was a little strange, but how uncouth and-!

"Gorobei, you might wanna stop talking…She looks mad…" Heihachi spoke up nervously from near his elbow. Gorobei blinked and looked down at him.

"Did I say all that out loud?" The orange-haired samurai nodded grimly.

"Oh……" He quickly went back to fumbling with the buttons on his boots. Luckily, his other boot was already unbuttoned (how the hell that happened, he had no idea) and he tossed them to Kyuzo. Or he tossed them in her general direction. One went flying over her head and smacked against the wall, while the other landed in Kambei's lap.

He went back to drinking his sake as Shichiroji sloppily dealt them a new hand. He was too drunk to notice, or even care, that Kyuzo seemed only too eager to retrieve the boot from Kambei. He also didn't notice Kambei's surprised yelp when her hand grabbed something that was _not_ Gorobei's boot.

He did however, watch as Heihachi had to hand over his _teruterubouzo_ to the smug Kyuzo. The pile of clothing behind her was becoming steadily larger.

This was so unfair.

------------

As far as drunken men went, Kyuzo could say this was the most well-behaved bunch she'd ever seen. No brawls had broken out over who had the longest sword, nothing had caught fire, and no one had died. It seemed these fearsome samurai were a lazy group of drunks.

Although not without entertainment value.

Gorobei had lost the ability to keep his thoughts in his head and had been rambling non-stop for nearly twenty minutes. Heihachi was just…himself, but a little louder and more clumsy. Shichiroji was…asleep? Katsushiro had lost any sense of modesty, which was fortunate because he had just lost the last of his clothing and was sitting stark naked across from her.

Kambei's drunken self was…interesting. Instead of being even more of a perverted, annoying, and completely shameless man, she was pretty sure he had actually gained some knowledge of personal boundaries.

Was that even possible? Or was she the only one who had to deal with him?

Despite his habit of touching her inappropriately, Kyuzo had never seen him do that to anyone else. He had plenty of opportunities with Kirara. The little witch might as well have ripped off her clothes and begged him with as subtle as she was!

Kyuzo didn't personally have anything against the Water Priestess. Of all the women she knew, Kirara was easily the one who deserved the most respect. Still, the thought of those delicate, _girlish_ hands anywhere near Kambei made Kyuzo want to slice them off.

Kyuzo did recall Hyogo whining about being grabbed during his fight with Kambei, but she had ignored him. After all, it was Hyogo. He thought the entire world was lined up outside his bedroom door.

Kyuzo shook her head and tried to get that image out of her mind. She didn't need to throw up tonight. Her stomach was already in turmoil over what she was about to do. A few cups of sake had helped steady her nerves, but she was still about to jump into completely new territory.

The blond woman glanced around the circle. Yes, everyone was completely smashed. Just the way she wanted it. Although Kambei was her primary objective, she didn't want anyone to interfere. At this point, no one would notice if she left with Kambei.

No, at this point they wouldn't notice if she neatly quartered his body into sections, wrapped them in seaweed, and then carted them out using a team of Yakans.

---------------

Kambei frowned and looked down at his attire. What to remove this time… And then Kyuzo made the decision for him. Her hands tugged his shirt up, exposing the dark skin of his abdomen.

"Kyuzo. I, ah, don't think this is really the time…" He protested, but lifted his arms just the same. Now bare-chested, Kambei could feel her fingers trailing down over his shoulders as she took his shirt.

She had been awfully eager to touch him over the last few hours. If only his brain were functioning properly, he would figure out…Was Katsushiro naked? The game must have finished. He was pleased to find that his pants were still right where they should be.

"Now what?" Heihachi was asking.

"Okay, you guys'll like this one," Shichiroji nearly listed sideways onto Katsushiro, but the threat of falling into the boy's naked lap had him rapidly straightening himself.

As entertaining as it was to watch the rest of them start to play something that involved a lot of pantomiming, the feel of Kyuzo's breath against his ear was much more distracting.

"Come with me." She said.

No one paid any attention to Kambei as he got to his feet, nearly stumbling in his haste to follow her.

------------

Walking was supposed to be a bit easier than this. Kambei had always prided himself on being able to walk in a relatively straight line.

Then why did he keep almost running into the wall?

The only thing that kept him from just leaning against the wall and sliding to the floor in defeat was the red clad woman walking in front of him. Just keeping his gaze on her hips and the subtle sway as she walked was enough to keep him moving. Although well disguised by her thick coat, Kambei could easily make out the shape of her body beneath the fabric. After all, he had seen what lay underneath. Even now, he could visualize the smooth muscles of her abdomen moving as she walked.

He could walk behind her forever, provided he had this view.

When Kyuzo suddenly stopped, Kambei would have run into her back had she not turned around. Instead, she had to brace her hands against his chest to hold him upright.

It was too tempting to resist bringing his arms around her. During the entire evening he had kept his hands to himself in an attempt to satisfy her need for space. That she let him hold her now was a clear invitation.

Scarlet eyes narrowed she he slid his hands down her back to cup her rear, but she made no move to stop him. Instead, her hands slid along his skin up to his shoulders and she pressed against him. He was surprised that he could feel the softness of her breasts against his chest. It was odd that she had not bound them as usual.

Kyuzo was very tall for a woman, but she still couldn't reach his lips without pulling herself up a bit using her grip on his shoulders. Kambei was all too happy to help as he turned, lifting her slightly off the floor as he did so, to pin her up against the wall.

While this put her at a height where she could easily reach his mouth, it also helped steady him, since the alcohol was making it difficult to stay standing.

She was unusually aggressive, kissing him hard and purposely pressing her thigh up between his legs. His hands had worked their way under her coat and were fumbling with the clasp at the top of her pants.

While not as reserved as Kyuzo, Kambei had never had the particular urge to have sex in public. It was tasteless, not to mention impractical. Why run the risk of being interrupted when there were usually perfectly good rooms available?

However, he was quite ready to take Kyuzo right there in the hallway. The other samurai, the Nobuseri, and the late Ukyo could show up to watch for all he cared.

He had just succeeded in unbuttoning her pants when she shoved him away. It wasn't a strong push; barely enough to put a foot between them, but his hands slid out from under her coat.

"Not here." She said softly. There was a door only a few feet to their left and Kambei let her push him into the dark room.

He stumbled over his own feet and had barely righted himself when she attacked him. His back hit the floor but he barely noticed. He was too focused on the feel of her body as she moved against him, deliberately rough against sensitive areas. For once, he was the one who could do nothing but breathe heavily and clutch at her shoulders.

"Kyuzo…" She had straddled his lap and was steadily rocking her hips, grinding against him. His eyes drifted shut as he enjoyed the sensation. It wasn't until he heard the rustle of cloth did he find that she had taken off her coat and tossed it aside.

His hands automatically moved to slide up under her shirt, intent upon removing it.

"No," She smacked his hands away. "You can't touch me until I say you can."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. Where did _this_ come from? Gone was the passive composure she adopted when allowing him to touch her, as if he didn't affect her. It was a pretense she was never able to keep for long, but she still tried every time.

Now she was dominant and aggressive. It was strange, but not at all unpleasant. Curious to where this would lead, Kambei let her push his hands above his head and obediently kept them there.

Kyuzo kissed him as a reward, just a soft brush of her lips that contradicted her previously rough treatment. In the meantime, her hands roamed over his bare chest. In some places she left scratch marks from her nails, and in others her fingers barely ghosted over his skin.

When she pulled away, one hand snagged a chunk of his hair and tugged upward. Kambei took this as a command to sit up. The room was spinning but he managed it.

However, he couldn't keep his hands to himself any longer and started tugging her shirt up.

"No." Again, she grabbed his wrists, but this time she forced them behind his back. While a little frustrated that he couldn't touch her, this motion had given him total access to her neck. So Kambei occupied himself with her skin, tasting and biting, savoring the shudders that went through her body.

Kyuzo still held his wrists, but was moving her hands in a rather strange way. He ignored it until something tightened around his arms and refused to give.

"Kyuzo? Why won't my arms move?"

Her lips curved into a rather wicked smile.

"I said you couldn't touch me."

-------------

"Kyuzo? Why won't my arms move?" For a second, Kyuzo felt the need to take a closer look at him to make sure she hadn't grabbed Katsushiro by mistake. Kambei didn't ask such ridiculous questions. But it was a silly impulse and one that she ignored. A smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth and she made no effort to suppress it.

"I said you couldn't touch me."

He twisted, testing the bonds, but Kyuzo wasn't worried. She had always been very good at tying knots, and thanks to the alcohol in his system, he wouldn't be going anywhere.

It was a good thing the room was so dark. Kyuzo knew her face had to be bright red by this point. It wasn't embarrassment or shame. Nor was it simple lust. Lust was easy to identify and just as easy to get rid of. You either fuck once of twice to get it out of your system, or you ignore it completely until your body gives up. This feeling had all the general symptoms of lust. I.e. rapid heartbeat, wet heat between the legs, and a slight skin sensitivity. But then there was the heat in her face to consider.

It had been like this ever since their first meeting. All Kambei had to do was look at her and the strange feeling would flare up.

The only other time she had felt this was when she was sixteen and had come up against a fairly handsome young man on the battlefield. She had killed him about fifteen seconds later, so she had not had time to acknowledge the feeling, nor had she given it any thought afterwards. Looking back, Kyuzo was glad she had killed him. Who knew what kind of idiotic things she would have done at that age while under the influence of such strange physical reactions?

She probably would have done something similar to what she was doing now…

Kambei was silent and was leaning back on his elbows. Having apparently given up on freeing himself, he was obviously waiting to see what she would do next.

What _would_ she do next? A part of her (a very large part) wanted to _explore_ the body beneath her.

Kyuzo knew what Kambei looked like under his clothes. He looked like a man. But she was sure he had managed to go over every inch of her body with his hands, his lips, his tongue, and whatever other appendages he had. What he found so fascinating about her legs, she would never know. He seemed to know her body better than she did. So it was only fair that she got to know his.

The other part of her wanted to go with her original plan.

In the interest of preventing conflict within her own mind, Kyuzo made a compromise. She would explore a little, simply for information gathering purposes, and then the plan would continue.

------------------

Okay, Kambei would admit that the last thing he expected was for Kyuzo to tie his hands behind his back. He really wasn't sure whether to be worried, or just more aroused by this unexpected side of her. Especially with the way she had been staring at him the last couple minutes. Hopefully she wasn't thinking of something potentially painful.

He sucked in a breath when she suddenly leaned closer, place her palms flat on either side of him, and pressed a soft, very deliberate kiss to one of the scratches left by her nails. She then paused for a moment, waiting. Then, her lips drew back into a rather sadistic smile and she bit down on the skin.

"Kyuzo!"

It was like a floodgate had opened. Kyuzo went from slow to almost frantic. As if she wanted to touch all of him at once and was frustrated by the small area her hands covered.

She still straddled his lap and the heat was torturous. In the back of his mind, there was the thought that maybe this was her revenge. Was she trying to make him beg? No man or machine could make Shimada Kambei beg, but it was somewhat disturbing to know that he would go on his knees in a second for her.

Kyuzo abruptly backed off his lap kneeling between his straight legs. She hand snagged a thick chunk of his hair and tugged.

"On your knees." And there was the proof. He grimaced when she tugged harder as he maneuvered around so he could kneel. Finally she kissed him again and he could taste his own blood on her lips.

Her fingers worked at the buckles on his belt, making much better progress than he had earlier. Then Kyuzo was tugging them down over his hips and he hissed when the fabric moved over his cock. The hiss turned into a startled gasp when he felt her fingers slide over the aching flesh.

The blonde woman ignored it as she looked at what she had touched. Her eyes held a curiosity, as if she were studying something new and interesting.

Kambei was starting to think that maybe this was just a marvelous dream brought on by the sake. After all, it was a constant battle to get Kyuzo to let him touch her. And she had never touched him like this before, even in reciprocation to his attentions.

While she explored, her right hand was busy removing his pants. He had enough coherence to lift each knee so she could slide them off, but that was it.

He was too preoccupied to notice that she didn't toss the clothing off to the side, and that her right hand was behind his back.

Dimly, Kambei was aware that she was messing with his feet. But did he care? Not really_._

It wasn't until Kyuzo abruptly stood and Kambei nearly fell back did he realized what she had done.

She had, somehow during that short window when he was on his knees, managed to wrap his own discarded pants around his ankles, and tied them together. All without him noticing. How the hell did she do that?

And the most alarming part; she had picked up her coat and was heading for the door.

This was bad.

"Kyuzo…? Where are you going?" Kambei struggled against his binds, but Kyuzo was, as usual, very good at what she did. He felt a rush of alarm.

"Kyuzo!" She stopped at the door and raised a finger to her lips.

"Shhh…You don't want anyone to hear that, do you?" He could see the smirk on her face as she slid the door open.

"Don't you dare leave me here!" He whispered furiously. Kambei couldn't remember the last time he had blushed, but his face was definitely burning now!

"Goodnight, Kambei." The door shut with a snap, leaving him alone.

_-----------_

Kyuzo had to stop to take a few calming breaths before she could continue. Her entire body was screaming at her to go back to Kambei. She should have left once she had tied his hands. But she had foolishly assumed that without his hands free to touch her, she could maintain control over her own body. Apparently not. As wonderful as it was to punish him for what he had done, it was just as much of a punishment for her. Now she had two nights in a row of frustration. Damn that Shimada Kambei.

Kyuzo did not sleep in the Firefly House that night. Instead, she was on the roof of a nearby inn. Close enough in case she was needed, but far enough that she was outside Kambei's grasp for the moment. While tying him up was more than he had done to her, Kyuzo had to admit that had she tried to leave while he was free, Kambei would have caught her. The thought should not have sent a shiver of pleasure through her body, but it did. Yes, she had a very good reason for tying him up.

When he finally did escape, he would most likely try to confront her in her room. When he didn't find her there, he would hopefully succumb to the effects of the alcohol and pass out somewhere. She was safe for the moment.

Unless he decided to go on a drunken rampage around the village in search of her. And while that would be entertaining, Kyuzo preferred that the entire population not be aware of this incident. It was embarrassing enough that Shichiroji knew about it.

Kyuzo tensed as she heard a very familiar voice, currently performing a high-pitched scream of shock and horror. Though muffled by the walls, it didn't take a genius to figure out all the expletives that the scream eventually turned into.

Who knew Shichiroji could hit such a high note?

-----------------

TBC…

Darn my tendency to write graphically. For some reason this chapter was hard to write, and then a few days ago, everything's just going! I wish I could spend all day writing, but I've got so much stuff to do!


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